Web users are getting tired of the traditional web experience. They get frustrated losing their scroll position; they get annoyed waiting for refresh; they struggle to reorient themselves on every new page. And the list goes on. With asynchronous JavaScript and XML, known as "Ajax," you can give them a better experience. Once users have experienced an Ajax interface, they hate to go back. Ajax is new way of thinking that can result in a flowing and intuitive interaction with the user.

Ajax in Action helps you implement that thinking--it explains how to distribute the application between the client and the server (hint: use a "nested MVC" design) while retaining the integrity of the system. You will learn how to ensure your app is flexible and maintainable, and how good, structured design can help avoid problems like browser incompatibilities. Along the way it helps you unlearn many old coding habits. Above all, it opens your mind to the many advantages gained by placing much of the processing in the browser. If you are a web developer who has prior experience with web technologies, this book is for you.

What's Inside - Ajax principles

Why Ajax design patterns matter

How to avoid Ajax pitfalls

Examples of Ajax in action: type-ahead suggest, live searching using XSL, and many more.

Examples using Ajax frameworks: Prototype, Scriptaculous, x and Rico

Ajax usability, security, and performance

About the AuthorDave Crane is an Ajax authority and lead author of the best-selling Ajax in Action. He is currently senior developer for UK-based Historic Futures Ltd., developing the next generation of socially responsible supply-chain systems using Ajax to link rural cooperatives and multinational corporations.

Eric Pascarello graduated from Penn State University in 2002 with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. Since then, Eric has been employed in the industry developing applications, primarily in VB.NET. The applications Eric develops focus on helpdesk support, management reporting, document management, and data recovery. In his spare time, Eric volunteers at www.JavaRanch.com, a friendly online community dedicated to helping people learn Java and Web technologies. Eric also enjoys wasting people's free time by developing JavaScript games that incorporate Artificial Intelligence.